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Here is some of the legal stuff for XMIT_ID

I started work on XMIT_ID on February 2, 1995. This program
was written at first to send and receive packet data. I was using a look
up table to decode the data comeing from the sound card. Then I found a bug,
the look up table would not work on the start of transmission. By looking
at this part of the transmission, I saw that the transmitter pattern looked
unique. Then started to write XMIT_ID.

During the Dayton 1996 Hamvention I was talking to Motron about XMIT_ID.
Their reaction was that I was, apparently, infringing on a patent
licensed to them. This is the patent that protects their product TX-ID. I
believe Motron then contacted the inventor, Phillip J. Ferrell (K7PF),but the
patent is owned by The Boeing Company of Seattle, WA.

So then I received an Email from Philip, from which I am quoting.

"Richard, The use of frequency/phase versus time to identify an
transmitter is rigorously covered in US Patent# 5,005,210. Your sale
of a program to accomplish this task apparently is an infringement of
that patent, which is owned by the BOEING CO."

End of quote

So I looked up the patent and here is the abstract.

ABSTRACT: of Patent Number 5,005,210

A method and apparatus for identifying a radio transmitter. The
transient frequency or phase history of the turn-on characteristics of a
transmitter is detected and digitized. The history can be analyzed by a
microprocessor operating a computer program to gather transients phase
information from an unknown transmitter and to classify the transmitter
in accordance with a transient characteristic.

So I talked to some lawyers. One lawyer said just talk to them, find out
what they want, and keep an open dialog. The letter I sent back had lots of
questions in it. One of the questions was, how much for the patent rights.
Another question, why am I infringing on your patent when there is no hardware
to my software program.

Now the answers to these questions.

I can not get the rights, because Motron has all rights to the patent
except for cellular phones.

Philip said, I do have hardware because I tell them how to build it.

Well there we are, XMIT_ID is here for now, enjoy. There is some good
news though. One of the lawyers said that I am not infringing on the patent
because my hardware, a sound card, is defined as a wheel in the computer
world. This hardware can not be patented. In fact, I could go after all the
claims in the patent, to this end, invalidating the patent completely. The
Sound Blaster was available in Nov 1989. This is when he made his device and
applied for the patent. Anyone can hook up a sound card to a radio's
unfiltered audio output with little technical knowledge needed. This requires
about as much knowledge as hooking up a VCR. This should invalidate his
patent completely, including the fact that he did not do anything to the
radios to make them finger printable. This is defined as a discovery that can
not be patented.

I had to do a lot of work to come up with this product, about 15,000 lines
of code worth. It also takes work to use it. It is not just hook it up and
your problem will go away.

I just hope all this work does not go to waste. Please help keep the
airways clean.